Premier Agent Spotlight: Jennifer Pine sees promise in current market

By Rebecca Maitland, homes correspondent |
April 11, 2014

There is one Realtor who is in love with her hometown of Houston and is thrilled to share all the city has to offer with her clients, those that relocate from another state, country or even another local area.

"When I think about my hometown, Houston, I think about how lucky I am to live here. It is a dynamic port city with a broad economic base, offers a world-class medical center and the lowest cost and highest standard of living in the U.S.," said Jennifer Pine, a Realtor with Martha Turner Sotheby'sInternational Realty.

"I have been in real estate for the past 38 years, and what a ride it has been. I have witnessed many cycles and trends, but the current market is perhaps the most exciting one," Pine said.

Pine said the real driving force in real estate appreciation is land cost. This is the axiom driving the current real estate market in Houston. Unlike so many regions of the U.S. where so many homeowners are underwater, our premiere neighborhoods have seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in lot values in the last 18 months.

"Very low inventory has pushed the market beyond these neighborhoods and into the suburbs. Houston has more master-planned developments than any other metropolitan region in the U.S. Major companies are moving here, escaping heavy taxes and government regulations, and creating huge campuses for their employees and their families," Pine said. "I first met Martha Turner in 1978 when I was 24 years old. We have worked together almost four decades in a real estate brokerage boutique environment. That means the company stands alone with no affiliation or relationships with any other organization. Time passes and the winds of change are inevitable."

One morning in January, staff and agents of Martha Turner gathered at the St. Regis Hotel for the first staff meeting of 2014.

"Martha stepped to the podium, poised and smiling, as usual," Pine said. "Her first words were 'I have sold my company to Sotheby's International Realty. A boutique no more, we now have 670 offices in 49 countries and territories, 13,000 fellow sales associates and the most prestigious clientele in the world. An affiliation with Sotheby's art auction house, founded in 1744, handles the sale of fine art and jewelry.'

"By now, most of Houston has heard the news and I am very excited about the great service and exposure we are now able to offer our clients. Martha agreed to stay and run the company."

"Her generous spirit and innate kindness are the driving force that has made her the popular and successful in the real estate business. We all look forward to the future and the exciting goals I know we will all achieve," Pine said.